Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, is enabling more opportunities for Omanis from varied academic backgrounds, providing them with access to more leadership and specialized positions.

Hilal bin Ali Al Siyabi, Senior Vice President - People, stated: “Oman Air is proud to have achieved an Omanization rate of 94 percent (excluding female cabin crew) at June 2022, which represents a high percentage considering our extensive international business footprint. The airline also employs bilingual employees from many nationalities to provide many of the specialised services that travellers expect from a global airline. Presently, we employ 2,811 Omanis alongside highly skilled and experienced colleagues from 64 nations.”

Al Siyabi added that the airline is committed to expanding horizons for young Omanis and boosting Oman Air's contribution to the Sultanate's GDP during the country's five-year plan (2021-2025) in line with Oman Vision 2040.

“This is owing to the success of many Omanization strategies achieving the intended results. Our Flight Operations Department's strategy is the perfect example, as 415 of the 398 pilots are Omani, with the remaining 17 pilots having extensive cumulative experience and work as instructors empowering future generations of pilots,” he said.

Ongoing efforts to train and qualify the next generation of pilots have been intensifying at Oman Air. Approximately 93 Omani cadets are currently enrolled in the Air Transport Pilot License Program, with 81 receiving theoretical and practical training at Europe's leading international flight training college in 6 different batches, with one batch of 12 trainees receiving initial foundation and skills training at Sultan Qaboos University.

"We recognise that Omani youth play an important leadership role in implementing important policies, initiatives, and commercial programmes at the airline, all of which have been praised by our esteemed customers, in addition to major international assessment companies. This clearly demonstrates the importance Oman Air places on developing and empowering Omani skills and contributing to an environment of success," Al Siyabi stated.

Oman Air will soon launch its Future Leaders Commercial Graduate Programme exclusively for Omani graduates. The intensive 2-year programme will offer up to 12 selected candidates the opportunity to gain internationally recognised qualifications while being exposed to all commercial functions at Oman Air. The programme is designed for the most talented Omani graduates, and expands on Oman Air's excellence-focused culture.

With job rotations that will expose students to six core commercial departments—Strategy & Planning, Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and Service Delivery—graduates will receive practical experience from inside the airline's commercial department. The programme will help students reach their potential as commercial managers and provide them with the skill sets needed to enter the airline sector. – TradeArabia News Service